BIO

“Electrifying” said The New York Times' 1998 review of Dr. Shohl’s Dynamophone. Fanfare called him an “immensely talented” composer whose work is “dramatic and highly charged” in a 2000 review of music recorded by pianist Jonathan Faiman. In 2013, the Times again praised his “fresh, engaging work”.

As an instrumentalist, Dr. Shohl studied piano, guitar, and Sundanese gamelan. He received his BA in composition (1985) at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and completed his Masters and Doctoral degrees at the Manhattan School of Music in 1999, where his teachers included Nils Vigeland and Ursula Mamlok.

Winner of ASCAP’s Young Composer Award (1990) and recipient of two residencies from the Macdowell Colony (1995, 2001), Dr. Shohl’s music has been performed in Anchorage (1991), Buffalo (1991), Fargo (2022), Jerusalem (1999), New York City (1988-2023), Rome (2003), San Diego, San Francisco (1986-1988) and Verbier (2006).

He has been honored with commissions from Areopagitica (2003), Bargemusic (1991-2017), the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival (1996, 1999), Common Sense (2020), Composers’ Concordance (2021), Glass Farm Ensemble (2007), Harpsichord Unlimited (2009), the Locrian Chamber Players (2020), the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (2004), the New Music Consort (1994, 2000), the Otto Luening Trust (1999), The Queen’s Chamber Band (2009), the Sitka Music Festival (1991), Kathleen Supové (1998) and Windscape (2001).

In addition, many prominent musicians have premiered his music, including David Cossin (1994), Paul de Jong of The Books (1996), David Jolley (2003), Ursula Oppens (1996), Marc Peloquin (1990-2019), David Taylor (2014), and Gregory Zuber (2013). Dr. Shohl’s work has also been presented by Glass Farm (2009) and the Sitka Music Festival (1991). He is featured on pianist Jonathan Faiman’s CD “Hie Up the Mountain” on the MSR Classics label (1999) and his string quartet arrangements of J. G. Thirlwell’s Manorexia album “The Mesopelagic Waters” were released on Tzadik in 2010.

In 2002, Dr. Shohl was appointed Professor of Music at Concordia College, Bronxville. He has also served as a Contributing Editor at YahooNews.com (2019, 2020). Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, he lives in New York City.

CONTACT:
DavidShohl@gmail.com